Melody Boot's Magical Life at Hogwarts
by AnnaKilljoy
Summary: When Melody Boot goes to Hogwarts, she soon befriends Harry, Ron and Hermione's children. This is the start of an eventful year packed with magic, friendship and trouble.
1. Chapter 1: The Hogwarts Express

_I don't own Hogwarts, nor quite a lot of the characters_

**Chapter 1**

'Melody!'

Melody Boot stirred and slowly opened her eyes. She was lying on her bed and had been deep asleep for the last few hours. A glance at her watch told her it was ten o'clock. She wanted to close her eyes, but her mother called again. 'Melody!'

'What?' yelled Melody, slightly angry. She'd been having a wonderful dream, but couldn't remember what it'd been about.

'You have to get up, or we'll be late! It's September the first, remember?'

Melody's eyes widened. 'No way,' she whispered. She jumped out of bed and pulled on her jeans and t-shirt. She looked round her small, untidy room, to see if she'd packed everything. Books were lying sprawled out on the ground. Only her favourite books were lying neatly on a pile on her bedside table. These books included Percy Jackson, A Series of Unfortunate Events and His Dark Materials. Melody loved fantasy books above all others.

Every square inch of her wall was covered in posters of Melody's favourite rock bands, making it impossible to make out the colour of the wall. Melody stared at them fondly, wishing she'd be able to listen to music at Hogwarts.

Melody looked at her favourite books in doubt, then decided to take them with her after all. She quickly put them in her suitcase, having to use her strength to be able to close the zipper. Then she grabbed her suitcase and left her room. Today she would be going to Hogwarts! _Finally_, she'd be able to learn magic.

Grinning widely, Melody entered the kitchen. Her parents were sitting at the table, having breakfast. Her dad, Terry, had brown hair and blue eyes twinkling behind his square glasses. He was a small, skinny man and like Melody, he loved reading. At the moment, he was reading the Daily Prophet.  
>Melody sat down. 'Morning,' she said.<p>

'Look who's there!' said her father happily, putting his newspaper away. 'Our daughter – who's going to Hogwarts today!'

'Shut up, dad,' Melody said, but she grinned.

'What can I get you, dear?' her mother, Mandy, asked. Mandy was like an older version of Melody, with black hair and green eyes. She was quite tall, and skinny like her husband.

'Toast, please,' Melody answered.

'Are we going to be on time?' Terry asked, worried. 'The train leaves at eleven, and it's ten past ten now.'

'How're we going there anyway?' asked Melody.

'We're going to Apparate,' said her mother.

'I can't Apparate yet! I'm only eleven!'

'_We _can,' her father said. 'Don't worry.'

Melody grimaced. Her father had taken her with him while Apparating once before, and it hadn't been pleasant. She hoped it would be better this time.

Unfortunately, Apparating felt just as bad as it did the previous time. As Melody and her parents arrived at King's Cross, she nearly threw up.

'Are you all right, dear?' asked her mother, worried.

'I'm fine,' answered Melody weakly. The Muggles on the platform looked at her suspiciously, not only because of her face which had become slightly green, but also because of the trolley she was pushing forward. The suitcase didn't look too strange, but her brown owl Larry did. It's a wonder they don't realise something's going on, Melody thought. Loads of people with owls must have arrived on this platform today.

'Merlin's beard!' Terry called out suddenly. 'Look at the clock!'

Melody looked at it and gasped. 'It's eleven o'clock! I'm too late!' She started running towards the barrier between platform nine and ten. When she reached the barrier, she closed her eyes, half expecting to bang her head, but it didn't happen. Opening her eyes again, she saw she'd arrived at the platform. And the train was still there! It was a scarlet steam engine. Steam was drifting in every direction, over the heads of the people left on the platform. Quickly, Melody got on board the train, carrying her suitcase.

'That was close, dear,' a man who was standing in the doorway of the train noted.

'I know,' Melody said, panting. She looked towards the platform, and saw her parents grinning proudly and waving at her. She waved back.

The platform was packed with people like her parents, wearing wizard robes and waving at their departing children. Some of them had tears in their eyes. Melody suddenly realised she wouldn't see her parents for a long time. She'd never been away from her parents for such a long time, and it made her feel slightly lonely. But she shook her head. She was going to have a great time at Hogwarts, and she'd see her parents again in the Christmas holidays. Nothing to worry about.

As the train started to leave, Melody began walking through the corridor, but all the compartments were full. She saw boys and girls her age talking enthusiastically and showing off their wands.

'The wandmaker said mine was really special!' a glassed boy said happily.

'I got my mother's,' another boy said unhappily. 'She couldn't afford a new wand… I hope it works for me…'  
>Making sure her wand was safely in her pocket, Melody walked further until she reached the end of the corridor. She wanted to turn back when a door of one of the compartments slid open. 'You can sit with us, if you want,' said the red-haired boy standing in the doorway.<p>

'Thanks,' said Melody, feeling relieved. She followed the boy into the compartment and sat down next to the window. She placed her suitcase in front of her feet and her owl's cage next to it.

The compartment was really big: bigger than you'd think possible from the outside.

Except for the red-haired boy, there was one other person in the compartment: a girl, also having red hair. 'Are you related?' asked Melody. Only after she'd said it, she realized it might sound rude. But the boy and girl laughed.  
>'We are,' said the boy. 'She's my cousin. I'm Hugo Weasley.' He offered her his hand, and she took it.<p>

'And I'm Lily Potter,' said the girl.

'Potter,' Melody repeated.

'Yeah, she's Harry Potter's daughter, blah blah, she gets that all the time,' Hugo grinned. 'So who're you?'

'I'm Melody Boot,' she answered.

'Hugo and I were just discussing the Houses,' said Lily.

'Yeah, I reckon I'll be in Gryffindor,' Hugo said proudly. 'My whole family was in Gryffindor. What House d'you think you're going to be in?'

'I dunno. My dad was a Ravenclaw, and my mum's a Muggle… I guess everything is possible. One's not necessarily in the House your family was in, right?'

'True,' Hugo admitted. 'But often, family members are in the same House. I definitely hope I'll be in Gryffindor.'

'You know, Ravenclaw wouldn't be so bad,' said Lily.

'Slytherin though…' Hugo pulled a face.

'Hugo! Seriously, there's nothing wrong with Slytherin! You may think all Slytherins are dark wizards, but they're not! They're ambitious, that's what Slytherin is.'

'Well, then I don't want to be ambitious.' Hugo changed the subject. 'What's your favourite Quidditch team?' he asked Melody.

'Oh, I don't care for Quidditch too much,' she admitted. 'I don't really like sports – I prefer reading.'

'What? That's impossible!' exclaimed Hugo.

'No, it isn't!'

'How can you like _books_ and dislike Quidditch?'

'I don't like spell books or something,' Melody hastily said. 'Fantasy books are my favourites.'

'You're still strange.'

'Thanks.'

They kept talking for a while, discussing Hogwarts, until there was a knock on the compartment door, and it opened. 'D'you want to have something from the trolley?' an old lady with grey hair asked. In front of her was a trolley full with all kinds of colourful sweets, some of which Melody had never seen before, even though she'd grown up as a witch.

'Yes, please,' said Melody, getting up. She looked at all the sweets on the trolley and felt her mouth watering. 'D'you guys want anything?' she asked.

'Everything's better than sandwiches with corned beef,' said Hugo. 'I wish my dad had made my sandwiches – _he_'d understand I don't like it!' He frowned. 'But I don't have all that much money…'

'Don't worry, it's on me,' said Melody, ordering all different kinds of sweets and handing the lady money.

'You can't–'

'Oh yes, I can. Watch me.' She threw the sweets onto the empty seat next to her, as the trolley lady disappeared. 'Take whatever you want.'

Hugo considered, clearly not wanting to eat sweets Melody bought, but finally, unable to resist the temptation, he took a package of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Lily picked up a Chocolate Frog, unwrapped it and quickly stuffed the frog into her mouth before it could wrench itself from her grip. She examined her Famous Witches and Wizard's card. 'Gwodric Gwyffindor,' she said, her mouth full.

'I cwan't underswand you,' said Hugo. Melody wasn't sure whether he was joking or not.

When all of them were full, they decided to change into their Hogwarts robes. '_Now _I feel like a wizard,' Hugo said happily. Melody silently agreed with him, feeling happier than ever before.

'I can't wait to see Hagrid again!' said Hugo brightly.

'Who's Hagrid?' asked Melody.

'A half-giant.' He chuckled at the look on Melody's face. 'Don't worry, he's a friendly one. Good friend of my family – visits us regularly. He's gamekeeper of Hogwarts.'

'And there's Neville,' said Lily brightly.

'You mean _Professor Longbottom_,' Hugo corrected.

'You know a _professor_?' asked Melody, impressed.

'Yeah, he's our Herbology teacher,' said Hugo proudly. 'A good one, too. And he fought in the Second Wizarding War!'

'Wicked,' Melody said.

At that moment, a boy and a girl entered their compartment. They sat down. 'Hey, bro!' the boy said. He had black, untidy hair and green eyes.

'Hey, Al,' smiled Lily. She turned to Melody. 'This is my brother, Albus,' she explained. 'He's a third-year.'

'Nice meeting you,' said Melody, shaking Albus's hand. 'I'm Melody.'

'And this is my sister, Rose, also a third-year,' grinned Hugo.

'Wow,' Melody said. 'You don't look like family.'

'You'd expect me to have red hair, like Hugo, wouldn't you?' Rose smiles. 'But no, I got my mother's hair. Brown and bushy.'

'Have you got any brothers or sisters, Melody?' asked Hugo.

'No,' said Melody sadly. 'I wish.'

'Brothers can be very annoying,' said Lily wisely.

'Oi!' said Al, but he was grinning. 'I have to admit, James can be terrible.'

'He's my oldest brother,' explained Lily. 'He's a fourth-year, and a jerk.'

'He's funny,' said Hugo.

'You wouldn't say that if he put a spider in your bed in the middle of the night,' said Albus.

'Wh-what? A spider?'

The others laughed. 'Hugo's afraid of spiders,' grinned Lily.

'Oh, shut up,' said Hugo, his ears red.

'You're just like you're father,' said Rose.

'He's _your _father, too.'

'Yeah, but _I _don't mind spiders.'

'No, because _you_'re perfect, aren't you?' said Hugo irritably.

'Well, we'll be going,' said Albus, opening the compartment door and entering the corridor. 'Just wanted to make sure you were okay.'

'By the way,' said Rose, following her cousin. 'We're almost at Hogwarts.' She closed the door.

And she was right. After thirty minutes, the train stopped moving and together with Hugo and Lily, Melody stepped outside. She looked up at the castle in wonder. 'It's _huge_,' she muttered.

'Isn't it?' Hugo grinned, looking up too, his mouth slightly open in surprise.

'Firs'-years, come with me! C'mon!' a really tall, bearded man shouted. Melody looked up at him. This had to be Hagrid. Hagrid grinned down at Hugo and Lily. 'How're yeh, Hugo, Lily?'

'Fine, Hagrid!' shouted Lily.

'Excited, righ'? Yeh don' need ter worry!' Hagrid assured them.

'Hagrid must be _old_, though,' said Hugo conversationally. 'He was already gamekeeper when dad was at Hogwarts!'

'I heard tha',' said Hagrid, but he was smiling. 'C'mon, firs'-years, into the boats! No more'n four to a boat!'

The three of them got into one boat, and sailed off across the lake, towards the large castle that they would soon be calling home.

**Please review so I'll know if I should continue writing about Melody (:**


	2. Chapter 2: The Great Hall

**Chapter 2**

Melody entered the Great Hall, looking around her. She'd just had an explanation from Professor Mabery, telling them how they would be sorted into the different Houses. Apparently they had to try on some hat that would tell them where they fitted. It seemed like nonsense to her, but then again, this was Hogwarts.

The Great Hall was enormous, and was filled with students of different ages, all of them looking at the first-years stumbling in. Some pointed at Lily and whispered something to their friends, probably talking about Harry Potter, but most took no notice. They were probably used to it, as Albus and James were also Potter's boys.

There were four tables in the Hall, representing the different Houses. Melody began to get nervous. She knew it wouldn't matter if she got sorted into Slytherin, but still…

She wasn't entirely sure which House she _would _like to be in. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw seemed to be good. And Hufflepuff was okay, too. She looked at the Slytherin table, and found the people sitting there didn't _all _look mean. Slytherin wouldn't be dreadful, she decided.

At the far end of the Hall, there was a long table, which appeared to be the table for the teachers. All different teachers were sitting there. In the middle of the table, on a chair which was slightly bigger than the others, was a man in his thirties, wearing a smart suit and a peculiar hat. Melody assumed he was the Headmaster.

There weren't only students and teachers in the Hall, there were also translucent figures that Melody recognized as ghosts. She stared at them in wonder: she'd known they existed, but she'd never seen one before.

Melody looked up at the ceiling, and noticed it looked like the sky. It can't really be the sky though, she told herself. The ceiling's probably enchanted. That must be an incredibly difficult spell! She kept staring at the ceiling.

When the first-years stopped moving, having arrived at the end of the Great Hall, Melody bumped into a boy in front of her. Quickly she backed off.

Professor Mabery appeared in front of them. She had grey, long hair and was tall and skinny. Her grey eyes seemed to bore right through Melody, and it made her feel uncomfortable.

The Professor was standing next to a four-legged stool, with a brown, old hat on top of it. For a moment it was quiet. Then – Melody blinked but she wasn't dreaming – the hat opened its mouth and began to sing.

_A hat is all I may seem  
>But I am more than your wildest dream<br>For years and years, I have been sorting those that are new  
>to this school: witches and wizards not unlike you<br>I've been sorting them into the four  
>different houses; it is my chore<br>There's Slytherin: proud, ambitious yet cunning and sly  
>But do not think they're the bad guy<br>Then there's Gryffindor: brave, daring they are  
>If it is courage you seek, Gryffindor wins by far<br>Ravenclaw is famous for its cleverness; its wit  
>They're smarter than the others, you'll have to admit<br>And Hufflepuff, for if you seek a good friend  
>Loyal, friendly and always content<br>Now try me on and do not fear  
>For I am more than I appear<em>

Everyone in the Great Hall applauded and so did Melody, even though she found the Sorting Hat quite strange.  
>Professor Mabery came forward. 'If I call out your name, please come forward,' said Professor Mabery loudly. She took a piece of parchment from her pocket. 'Abbott, Leroy!' she shouted. A blond boy walked up to the stool and sat down nervously. The Professor placed the hat on his head. For a moment there was silence. Then, the Hat's mouth opened. '<em>Hufflepuff!<em>'

Relieved, Leroy walked towards the table that was cheering loudly. He was welcomed by his fellow Hufflepuffs.

'Boot, Melody!'  
>Melody approached the stool nervously and sat down. The Hat was placed on her head. 'I see…' it mumbled. 'Smart, loyal, ambitious... You've got something of all houses! But most of all, I see – brave, daring. Yes, I think it's quite clear… <em>GRYFFINDOR<em>!'

Surprised, Melody walked towards the Gryffindor table, where everyone was applauding her. She sat down next to a pale, blonde boy and looked back at the Sorting Hat, which was now sorting 'Clevott, Mary' into Ravenclaw.  
>After a few minutes, Lily's name was called out. She sat down on the stool and nervously looked up at the Hat on her head. '<em>Gryffindor<em>!'

Relieved, Lily sat down next to Melody. 'We're in the same House!' she said happily.

'Yeah,' Melody agreed. 'I thought I'd be in Ravenclaw, since my dad was… But Gryffindor's good!'

Shawn Taylor, an arrogant looking boy with brown hair became a Slytherin.  
>'I don't like the looks of him,' muttered Lily.<p>

'Weasley, Hugo!'

'Here goes Hugo!' Lily said excitedly, looking at her friend, who was trembling on the stool, looking up at the hat fearfully. '_Gryffindor_!'

Hugo grinned and sat down opposite Melody. 'I knew it!'

'You didn't look so confident on that stool,' noted Lily.

'Of course I was confident,' scoffed Hugo.

'Zabini, Kate', the last to be sorted, became a Slytherin and the Sorting Hat was rolled up by Professor Mabery. All students expectantly looked at the table they were sitting at, but nothing happened.

The Headmaster stood up. 'Welcome at Hogwarts! The Sorting Ceremony is over and I'm sure all of you are hungry, so let's eat!' Suddenly, the tables were filled with all kinds of food: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, bacon, steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots and much more. Melody eagerly piled her plate with sausages and chips and began to eat. The meal was delicious, and the people she was with made it even better.

'Lily, d'you see that? Albus wasn't lying, then!' whispered Hugo. Melody had no idea what they were talking about.

'Of _course _he wasn't lying, just because you're so narrow-minded–'

'Don't you think it's strange?'

'No, I personally think it's wonderful, really.'

'What's the matter?' asked Melody.

'You see that boy next to you?' said Hugo. 'He's Scorpius Malfoy. His dad was a _Slytherin_, and Lily's dad's archenemy. Can you _believe _his son's in Gryffindor?'

'Shh, Hugo, he can hear you!' said Lily urgently. 'And you heard Albus, Scorpius is really friendly. They're friends, Albus and Scorpius are.'

Melody glanced at the boy sitting next to her. He looked friendly enough – and _handsome_, she thought, blushing.

'Can you remember who else got sorted into Gryffindor?' asked Hugo. 'I'll have to sleep in the same room as the other Gryffindor boys that're in our year, so they'd better be friendly.'

'Well, I'll sleep in the same room as Melody,' said Lily brightly. 'Other than that… I didn't really pay attention. We'll see.'

When Melody was full, the food disappeared, to be replaced by hundreds of desserts. Even though she wasn't hungry anymore, Melody still ate some pudding before it disappeared.

The Headmaster got up again, and everyone faced him. 'I'm Ernie Macmillan, your Headmaster,' he said pompously. 'And I have some announcements to make. First of all, it's forbidden to enter the forest outside the grounds – that's why it's called the Forbidden Forest,' he said, grinning at his joke. No one else laughed, so his smile quickly faded and he hastily continued, 'Also, you're not allowed to do magic in the corridors, and if you do, points will be taken off your House. In the second week of term, there'll be Quidditch trials. First-years aren't allowed to play Quidditch yet. That was it, I think – now, it's bedtime. Everyone, go to your dormitories! Prefects, lead the first-years to the common rooms!'

Everyone stood up and made their way to their dormitories. Melody wanted to follow the group of Gryffindor first-years when Hugo suddenly said, 'Hey, that's Nearly Headless Nick!'

This statement made Melody look at where Hugo was pointing. A ghost with a wobbly head was drifting in front of them. His hair was short and curly and he was wearing rather old-fashioned clothes. 'Oh, hello,' he said politely. 'Have we met?'

'No, but my dad told me about you!'

Nearly Headless Nick glanced at Hugo's hair. 'A Weasley, I assume?'

'Yeah, Ron Weasley's his name.'

'Ah,' said the ghost. 'Yeah, I know him. A good boy – a bit tactless sometimes, though.'

'Nearly Headless?' asked Lily. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'D'you want to see?' the ghost said proudly. He grabbed his head with his hand, and pulled it aside. Melody gasped as she saw that the head was only attached by a small piece of skin. 'That's _disgusting_,' she said before she could stop herself.

'Excuse me?' asked Nick, looking offended.

'I'm sorry,' she quickly said. 'I mean – you just look very scary and all…'

'Thank you,' said Nick, looking happy again. 'In fact, I think I look even scarier than ghosts who've got their _whole _head cut off.'

'I agree,' said Melody.

'But _still _they won't let me join the Headless Hunt,' grumbled Nick. 'How dare they–' He drifted away, having forgotten the three students.

Lily looked around, then cursed. 'Where're they?'

'Who?' asked Hugo.

'The other Gryffindors! The Prefects would lead us to the dormitories, but everyone's gone!'

This was true, Melody noted. Even the teachers seemed to have left. Only a few Ravenclaws had remained in the Hall. Melody approached them. 'Excuse me? D'you know where the Gryffindor common room is?'

'Why'd we know that?' said a blonde girl with plait hair irritably. 'We're Ravenclaws.'

'Yeah, but I just thought–'

'You thought wrong, them,' said the girl, turning her back on Melody.

'That was friendly,' commented Hugo.

'D'you need help finding the common room?' asked a voice behind them. They turned around, and saw Scorpius Malfoy standing there.

'Yes, please,' said Melody. 'We were distracted, and before we knew it the others were gone.'

'I'll help you. I have to go there myself, too.' He started walking. Melody, Lily and Hugo followed him. They exited the Great Hall and went left, up a marble staircase, through a corridor, and up some stairs again. While walking they passed a lot of portraits, containing people who curiously stared at them. Melody wanted to tell them it was impolite to stare, but thought it strange to be speaking to a portrait. Only when a portrait said: 'What're you looking at?' she answered: '_You're _the one who's staring at us!'

'They're always curious when there're new first-years,' explained Scorpius. 'But don't worry, they're really friendly. You'll have to look out for the portrait of Sir Cadogan, though, he's rude.'

They went through a hidden doorway and continued down a corridor.

'You're Albus's sister, aren't you?' Scorpius asked Lily.

'Yeah,' she said. 'I am!'

'And Harry Potter's daughter,' he continued. 'And then you'll be Ron Weasley's and Hermione Granger's son,' he told Hugo.

'I know I am.'

Scorpius grinned. 'I'm Scorpius–'

'–Malfoy,' said Hugo. 'Yeah, I know.'

Scorpius turned to Melody. 'And you are?' he enquired.

'Melody Boot.'

'Melody. I like that name,' he said.

'Thanks,' she grinned. 'I like Scorpius, too.'

They walked up a staircase when it suddenly started moving. Melody, Lily and Hugo looked scared, but Scorpius laughed. 'That happens all the time,' he told them.

'Won't we have to wait until it goes back?' asked Lily as the staircase moved to the left.

'No, we have to go this way anyway,' said Scorpius, walking up the stairs, through a door. They arrived at a portrait of a rather big woman, wearing pink robes. 'This is the Fat Lady.'

'I can see that,' grinned Hugo. The Fat Lady shot him an angry look.

'_Polyjuice Potion,' _said Scorpius, and the portrait swung aside to reveal a passageway to a red room packed with students. They entered the room. 'Here we are, the common room,' said Scorpius.

'Thanks for leading us here,' Melody told him.

'You're welcome,' said Scorpius.

'Let's go to sleep,' said Lily. 'I'm dead tired.'

'Me too,' Melody agreed. They parted company with Hugo and went up to their dormitories, where they immediately dropped themselves onto their beds. Within a few seconds they were asleep.

**A review would make me very happy!**


	3. Chapter 3: The First Lessons

**Here's a new chapter! Hope you like it (:**

**Chapter 3**

The next morning, Melody woke up to the sound of talking. She sat upright and looked around her. She hadn't had the time to examine the dormitory before, but now she noticed it was completely red: the walls, the floor, the beds; everything. This was, of course, because red was Gryffindor's colour.

She and Lily were the only ones left in the dormitory: the other girls seemed to have left already.

Sunlight shone through the large windows, making Melody squint. She walked up to the windows and her breath caught, for the view was beautiful. She could see the enormous lake in front of Hogwarts and the Quidditch pitch. In the distance, the sun had risen up above the mountains.

Lily patted on Melody's shoulder. 'We have to go down to breakfast, or we'll be too late for our first lesson.'  
>'What <em>is <em>our first lesson?'

'I don't know. The Head of our House will hand our timetables out in the Great Hall.'

Melody and Lily followed a few fourth-years to the Great Hall, unable to find the way themselves. They sat down next to Hugo, who was already inspecting his timetable. 'Charms is our first lesson,' he said, while Professor Mabery, Head of Gryffindor, handed both Melody and Lily a time table too.

'Charms sounds interesting,' said Melody, pouring herself some juice. 'And after that…' she said, looking down at her timetable, 'Potions.'

When they'd finished breakfast, they went on their way to the Charms classroom, following a couple of other Gryffindors. Only after a while they realised the Gryffindors they were following were second-years, not first-years.  
>'Damn!' hissed Hugo. 'Where <em>is <em>the Charms classroom, then?'

They ran up a staircase when they were met by a solid-looking ghost, wearing peculiar, outlandish clothes.  
>'Hello,' said Melody politely. 'D'you know where the Charms classroom is?'<p>

'First-years!' cackled the ghost. 'Peeves loves ickle little first-years!' He soared down, flying through Melody, who felt a horrible, cold sensation. 'Peeves loves to tease them!'

'You're a poltergeist, aren't you?' asked Lily. But Peeves paid her no attention, he was too busy throwing expensive-looking vases down at them. The three of them had to duck to avoid the vases.

'Stop, will you?' said Hugo angrily, 'and tell us where the Charms classroom is!'

Peeves stopped for a moment. 'Are the ickle little first-years lost?'

'Sort of, yeah,' admitted Melody.

'The Charms classroom is right behind that door,' said Peeves, pointing at a wooden door.

Suspiciously, Melody approached the door, and she opened it. She walked into a deserted classroom, filled with wooden benches. 'There's nobody here,' she said.

When Hugo and Lily had stepped inside the room too, the door suddenly slam shot behind them. 'What?' exclaimed Hugo, pulling on the door, but it wouldn't open. They could hear Peeves cackling on the other side. 'Are the ickle little first-years locked up?'

'Shut up and open that door, Peeves!' shouted Hugo angrily.

'Say please.'

'I ruddy won't!'

'Hugo, calm down,' said Lily. 'We have to get out of here! Please, Peeves, open the door!'

'_No_! Ha ha!' They heard the poltergeist zooming away, cackling nastily.

'Well, here we are,' muttered Lily. 'Locked up inside a room.'

'Don't give up!' said Melody. 'We'll find a way to get out of here. D'you know any spell that could help us?'

'You're the reader, not me!' said Hugo.

'Like I told you on the train, I haven't read spell books. Even if I had, I doubt I'd be able to actually do magic.'

'Hugo, you're always bragging about how good you are at magic,' said Lily. 'Do something!'

'Well… that's something different…' muttered Hugo, embarrassed.

'Hang on – there're books in here!' said Melody, enthusiastically approaching a bookcase. 'Judging by the titles, this _is _a Charms classroom – it's just not the classroom where we're supposed to be.' She opened a book called 'Standard Spells' and looked through it until she found a spell called 'Alohomora'. 'It should help us open the door,' she said.

Lily pointed her wand at the door and shouted, 'Alohomora!' but nothing happened.

'You're just not good enough,' said Hugo confidently to a hurt Lily. 'Alohomora!' Still, nothing happened. 'Alohomora! Alohomora! Damn! That spell's just rubbish!'

'I'll try,' said Melody.

'Yeah, right,' scoffed Hugo. 'Like you're any better.'

Melody pointed the wand she'd bought in Diagon Alley a few weeks ago at the door and concentrated. 'Alohomora!' she shouted. The door opened.

'How'd you do that?' asked Hugo incredulously.

'I don't know,' said Melody honestly. 'I just tried and…'

'It seems we've discovered a talent of yours, Melody,' said Lily brightly. 'You're _brilliant _at doing magic.'

'I could've done that too, you know, I wasn't trying,' mumbled Hugo, who'd gone red.

'I'm sure you're right,' said Melody, to make him feel better. She couldn't help but grin as they hastened through the corridor.

Only after ten more minutes they managed to find the Charms classroom thanks to Nearly Headless Nick, who they ran into. They knocked on the door and entered the room. All the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws who were sitting at their desks looked around, and Professor Smith shook her head disapproving. 'Ten points from Gryffindor,' she said. 'Why in Merlin's name are you so late?'

'–couldn't find the way–'

'–ran into Peeves–'

'–locked us up–'

'I see,' said Professor Smith. 'Sit down, all three of you.' Ironically, she began talking about the Alohomora charm, and Melody, Lily and Hugo exchanged smirks.  
>After her explanation, Professor Smith pointed at the door, and waved her wand. 'I have now locked that door. Each of you will try to unlock it. Good luck!'<p>

They queued up and all tried to open the door, but no one succeeded. Only when it was Melody's turn, the door opened. 'Very good!' said Professor Smith.  
>Lily and Hugo grinned.<p>

They managed to find the Potions classroom by following the other students. 'Oh no,' said Hugo dramatically. 'We're having this class with the Slytherins.'

When Professor O'Reilly arrived, they entered the classroom and he started explaining about Potions. 'Today, we'll be making a simple Potion called Alihotsy Draught. Who knows what the Alihotsy Draught does?'

Nobody spoke. 'It induces hysteria,' said the Professor at last. He waves his wand, and instructions appeared on the blackboard. 'Let's start!'

Melody gathered the ingredients she needed and started by cutting her asphodel roots. She continued brewing, until the potion turned a dark blue colour. It should've turned purple, thought Melody nervously, but at least it wasn't black, like Hugo's was. Satisfied enough, she filled a flask with her potion and wanted to give it to Professor O'Reilly when she accidentally tripped, and dropped the flask. The contents splashed down onto Shawn Taylor's robes.

'What are you _doing_?' Shawn cried out. 'Professor! This _girl_ just threw her draught at me! Or what's _supposed _to be her draught – it's not even the right colour.' He snorted, though there was a hint of panic in his voice. 'D'you know how much these robes cost? They were really expensive, you–'

'Now, now, no arguing!' said Professor O'Reilly quickly. Miss Boot, did you do this on purpose?'

'Of course she did, the little–' said Shawn, but I interrupted him.

'No, I didn't, I swear! I just accidentally dropped it–'

'–and it just _happened _to splashed onto my robes! Yeah, right!' sneered Shawn.

'If Miss Boot says it was an accident, I'll assume it was, but be more careful next time,' warned Professor O'Reilly.  
>'Yes, Professor,' said Melody. When the Professor turned his back on her, she glared at Shawn, who glared back.<p>

After Potions, they went back to the Great Hall, where they had lunch. Melody kept glancing over at Shawn, who was sitting at the Slytherin table. 'I hate him,' she said fiercely.

'Don't mind him – he's a Slytherin after all,' said Hugo.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'What's more important: how will we ever find the way in this enormous castle? We'll probably still get lost in our seventh year!'

'I don't kn–hang on,' said Hugo suddenly. 'Your dad had a map, right? A map of Hogwarts?'

'Of course! The Marauder's Map! Albus probably has it, but he won't mind me borrowing it!' She stood up and ran towards her older brother, who was sitting further along the table. A moment later she was back, carrying a piece of parchment.

'That's it?' asked Melody, unimpressed.

Lily laughed mischievously. 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good,' she said, tapping the parchment with her wand. At once, ink began to appear on the map, resembling Hogwarts. Every single corridor seemed to be drawn on the map, including the people who were walking around the castle.

'Wow, you can really see everything,' breathed Melody. 'Even the people – they're moving! What's our next lesson?'

Hugo checked his timetable. 'Herbology. In Greenhouse One.'

'There it is!' said Melody, pointing at a square containing the words 'Greenhouse One'.

'That was a great idea, Hugo,' said Lily.

'Thanks,' grinned Hugo. 'I love this map. D'you think Albus will also let us borrow his Invisibility Cloak some time?'  
>'He's got an Invisibility Cloak?' asked Melody, fascinated.<p>

After lunch, they made their way to Greenhouse One, where a tall, round-faced man was waiting for them. When he saw Hugo and Lily, his face broke into a big smile. 'Hey guys!'

'Hi Neville,' grinned Lily.

'Professor Longbottom for you,' said Neville, but he was laughing. He opened the door to the greenhouse and let them in. In the middle of the greenhouse, there was a large table. On top of the table, there were some plants Melody didn't recognise. They entered the greenhouse.

'It's hot in here,' panted Melody.

'That's because of the glass,' said Lily wisely. 'The plants need the heat.'

'Hello everyone!' said Neville. 'Is everyone present?' Just at that moment, Shawn lazily walked into the greenhouse. 'You're late,' Neville pointed out. 'Actually, I should take off House points…'

'Don't you dare,' said Shawn. A few Slytherins laughed. Melody balled her fists.

'Oh, well… I won't, then. Because it's the first lesson and all,' said Neville nervously.

'He shouldn't be so soft,' said Melody. 'Professor Smith took points off our House when we were late.'

'We were quite a lot later than Shawn,' said Lily, 'not that I'm justifying what he did!' she hastily added at seeing Melody's angry expression.

'This is Devil's Snare,' said Neville, pointing at the plants in front of them. 'The best way to deal with it is by casting Incendio. Try it out!'

'Incendio!' everyone said.

'Good. Now, make groups of four. Every group can tackle one Devil's Snare, by all casting Incendio.'

'Hey, d'you want to be in our group?' asked a girl next to Melody.

'Sure,' she replied.

'I'm Abbey Thomas,' said the girl. She had blond, curly hair and bright blue eyes. She was short and rather chubby.

'Corinne Peakes,' said a girl with short, brown hair.

'Penny Kirke,' said a girl with dirty blond hair until her waist.

'I'm Melody Boot,' she said. 'You're in my year too, right?'

'Yeah, we share our dormitory,' said Abbey, pointing her wand at the Devil's Snare. 'Incendio!' Nothing happened.

Melody also tried the spell, but couldn't make it work, and neither could anyone else. When the lesson ended, all of them were tired and frustrated. 'Don't worry,' said Professor Longbottom. 'It's a difficult spell, and I didn't expect you to already succeed in your first lesson. We'll continue on Wednesday.'

After dinner in the Great Hall, Melody, Lily and Hugo went up to the Common Room and played Exploding Snap until midnight. 'I'm glad we haven't got homework yet,' said Hugo happily.

'We _will _get homework tomorrow, I bet,' said Lily.

'Don't worry about tomorrow, when it's still today!' said Hugo wisely, picking up a card, which exploded in his hand. 'Ow,' he said, looking at his burnt hand.

'It's late,' said Lily, 'we'd better go to bed.'

Melody took one last look at the comfortable room and saw Scorpius Malfoy grinning at her. He was playing chess with his friends. She smiled back and then went up the stairs, to her dormitory. Corinne was snoring loudly as she entered, but she took no notice and changed into her red PJs. As she lied in bed, she thought about her first day at Hogwarts. It was going to be a good year.


End file.
